Magnetism
by FictionQuxxn
Summary: What if Shaw wasn't pleased with just Erik, and he went after another mutant child, only to lose her, killing her parents in the process? Giselle Amsel arrives in Charles Xavier's kitchen late one night, only months after Raven, and the three mutants have stuck together all this time. But when Moira MacTaggart asks for help from Charles, it sets them on a path of no return.
1. Prologue-New Arrival

**A/N: Hi guys, so, this is a story that I wrote ages ago, and have been thinking of posting for a long time. I haven't uploaded anything in a while, so this is what's going up until my 'Godly Initiative' sequel is posted. I apolgise in advance for Google Translate's German, and I welcome any and all corrections ;P. I'm thinking of a DoFP sequel, but I'll see how you guys like this one first. In this story, the ages are slightly different to what they are really. I lay it out for you to get rid of confusion.**

 **Erik is 33, Giselle is 27/28, Charles is 32, Raven is 25, and the others are all the same ages as they are in the film. Anyway, I'll let you read. Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to F,F &R if you wouldn't mind!**

 **Ta-ta!**

 _She popped into existence with a_ thump _, crumpled on the cold linoleum floor. She groaned, and struggled to sit upright, her weak arms only holding her up for a second before she fell yet again._

 _"_ _Hello? Who's there?" a young boy called, tip-toeing into the kitchen. Seeing the ragged and dirty girl collapsed there, he rushed forwards, and gripped her shoulders. The little girl thrashed, and groaned in a foreign tongue,_

 _"_ _ **Lass mich gehen! Ich habe nichts getan! Nein!**_ (Let me go! I have done nothing! No!) _"_

 _"_ _ **Nein, ah...**_ _" he replied hurriedly, crouching down next to the girl as he tried to call forth the 'pointless' German lessons his mother had forced him into a year previously. "_ _ **Mein nom ist Charles Xavier... ah... Ich kan Ihnen helfen. Sprechen, um... Sprechen Sie Englisch?**_ (My name is Charles Xavier. I can help you. Do you speak English?) _"_

 _The girl stopped her wriggling, and looked up at Charles, his gaze immediately trapped by the mismatched orbs: one a shining silver, one a deep chocolatey brown._

 _"_ _Yes, I speak the English," she said in halting, heavily accented English. "You help me? You be good to me? You not call the, ah..._ _ **polizei?**_ _The police?"_

 _"_ _No, I will not call the police." Charles assured her, helping the girl to her feet. He ran his eyes over her, and frowned. "You need a bath, and some new clothes. Here, come with me..."_

 _He held out a hand to her, and the girl waited before taking it. She looked around her, before glaring at the hall beyond Charles. With a twitch of her eye, the light exploded with a little pop, and the pressure in her head eased._

 _"_ _What did you do?" Charles asked softly, looking behind him at the recently regained darkness._

 _"_ _The light was bright. It might alert people. I stopped it." she said simply, smiling lightly at Charles. He grinned, and cocked his head, eyes wide._

 _"_ _You're like me!" he realised. "I knew I wasn't the only one. Oh, how silly of me... May I know your name?"_

 _"_ _Yes," she nodded, smiling more fully. "My name Giselle Amsel._ _ **Gut dich zu treffen.**_ (Pleasure to meet you.) _"_

 **18 YEARS LATER**

"Heterochromia."

"A gentleman would at least offer to buy me a drink first."

I scoffed internally at Charles' attempt to woo this woman. The flurry of constant activity was more than I had been exposed too in a long time, and was giving me a terrible headache. I slammed my head onto the bar-top, and ordered more Scotch.

" **Ficken befugnisse..!** (Fucking powers..!)" I muttered under my breath, bringing my head up to down the alcohol, and then just as swiftly ordering another refill.

"Norman? A pint of bitter for me and a brandy for the lady, please." Charles called, and I sent him a covert glare.

"How did you know that?"

"A lucky guess. Name's Xavier. Charles Xavier. How do you do?" he lied smoothly, and I threw back my umpteenth glass of the night, trying to block out the almost constant headache to no avail. I knew this was a bad idea...

"Amy."

"Heterochromia is in reference to your eyes, which I have to say are stunning. One green, one blue. It's a mutation. It's a very groovy mutation. I've got news for you, Amy. You are a mutant."

"First you proposition a girl and then you call her deformed. How is that seduction technique working for you?" Good for you, girl...

"I'll tell you in the morning."

The girl, Amy, smiled at Charles, and he chuckled. Or not.

"No, seriously. You mustn't knock it. Mutation took us from single cells organisms to being the dominant form of reproductive life on this planet. Infinite forms of variation with each generation: all through mutation."

"Yady-fucking-ya..." I muttered to Raven, and she nodded knowingly at me.

"Charles here was telling me that I'm like one of the first sea creatures that grew legs." Amy had now turned to talk to Raven, who had left one empty seat between the couple.

"Bet he did..." I muttered into my glass.

"Tiny bit sexier." They both laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

"I'm sorry these are my sisters, Raven and Giselle,"

"Hi."

I didn't even rise to meet Raven's etiquette. I nodded in the girl's direction, and slid a bowl of peanuts my way across the bar.

"Amy. And what are you studying?"

"Waitressing." Raven replied, and I sniggered mentally.

"Physics," I replied, and actually turned to look at her.

"Ah!" Amy seemed quite surprised, and looked closely at both of our faces. "Oh, look! You both have heterochromia too."

"Sorry, what?" Charles spluttered, looking at us quickly in shock.

"Well, look at their eyes," Amy said, gesturing from me to Raven.

"Right," Charles huffed, glaring at my sister figure. "Raven get your coat, please! And you Giselle."

We gathered our things in a flurry of fabric, and Charles was quickly ushering us out of the bar after that.

"Don't talk to me. You did that on purpose!" he hissed, walking hurriedly along the street.

"I did not!" cried Raven indignantly, and I just wrapped my coat tighter around me, walking lethargically behind the two.

"Yes you did!"

"Why would I do it on purpose? You know I can't control it sometimes. If I'm stressed or I'm... tired."

"You seem to be doing a perfectly good job of it right now..."

"Mutant and proud! Or is that only the pretty mutations or invisible ones, like yours? But if you're a freak, better hide!"

"You're being ridiculous. Look...look, I don't mean to sound like an old fart-"

"Which you are," I said, as they drew to a stop. Charles shot me a look, and I just raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sometimes. But we talked about this, Raven. A small slip up is one thing; a big one does not bear thinking about."

 **-0-**

"Would you date me?"

"Of course I would. Any young man would be lucky to have you. You are stunning." Charles replied without missing a beat. I stayed curled up in the leather armchair, gently flipping through one of my assigned books from Physics, not taking my eyes from the text.

"Looking like this?"

"I...you...what?"

Charles and I both looked up, and Raven stood there in her natural form.

"Blue?" Charles realised he needed to tread carefully when Raven looked down sadly. "You're my oldest friend."

"We're your only friends," I called, setting down my book, and drawing my knees up to my chest.

"Thank you for that..." Charles huffed, looking over at me as a grin played around his mouth.

"You're welcome."

"Well?" Raven pressed, cocking her head.

"I'm incapable of thinking of you that way. I feel responsible for you. Anything else would just feel wrong."

"But what if you didn't know me?"

"Unfortunately I do know you. God! I don't know what's gotten into you lately: you're awfully concerned with your looks..."Charles had left his desk by this point, and had walked further into the room to the sofa, where he lounged on the sofa, stretching out in front of the fire.

Raven sat down next to Charles, and flopped into his side.

"I'm sleepy, will you read to me?"

"I can't, I've got my thesis coming up. I have to study..!"

"Good luck, by the way," I called out, and Charles sent me a small smile in thanks.

"Well, fine, read me some of your thesis, it'll send me right off," Raven replied somewhat scathingly, and I shot her a look she didn't see.

"To _homo neanderthalantis_ his mutant cousin, _homo sapien_ , was an aberration..."

While Charles continued reading to Raven, I got up, and slipped quietly out of the room. Raven was with Charles before I turned up, and he always seemed to connect better with her. I knew by now when I wasn't needed. Or wanted. I walked up to my room, and curled up on my bed, pulling the soft blankets over my head, and blocking out the world.


	2. One-Not Alone

"So, how does it feel to be a professor?" I asked brightly, holding up a black umbrella, trying to block out the squeezing this many moving people were causing.

"Oh, don't call me that!" he scoffed, holding his arm out for me to take. "You don't get to be called a professor unless you actually have a teaching position."

"I know. But it suits you," I chirped, and he shook his head fondly.

"Oh, don't say that! But do say 'let's go have a drink' first."

"Let's go have a drink. Raven can catch up later."

"Wonderful!"

 **-0-**

Everyone in the pub egged Charles on, as he drained an absolutely giant glass of beer. I cheered along with everyone else as he finished, and gently helped him down from the stage. He sent me a grateful look, and I grinned.

"I'm so proud of you," Raven said, hugging him when he stepped down. I took my turn, and when we were finally separate, he smiled devilishly.

"I need another drink."

"Me too," I added, and he high-fived me. "And _you_ need another cola, you little light-weight!" I teased Raven, nudging her side. She slapped my hand away, and snorted, rolling her eyes at me.

Raven sat down at the table, and Charles led me to the bar. We had only made it a few steps when we were intercepted by a lady with shoulder-length auburn hair.

"Congratulations, professor."

"Thank you very much. It's much harder than it looks actually," he said casually, swapping his huge glass between each hand.

"No, on your presentation."

"Oh, you were at my presentation, how nice. Thank you very much."

"Moira MacTaggart," she introduced, holding her hand out. Charles took it, and announced his name, before beckoning me forwards.

"And this is my friend, Giselle."

"Pleasure to meet you," I said courteously, and shook her hand. Her eyebrow raised, and she looked questioningly at me.

"German?"

"Yes, although I lived with Charles for most of my life, in Westchester." I explained, curious as to how fast she picked up and identified my very faint accent.

"Do you have a minute?" she asked Charles, after a quick smile at me.

"For a pretty little being with the mutated MCR1 gene, I have five."

I rolled my eyes, and followed the pair, the urge to hit Charles becoming stronger with every word he spoke.

"I say MCR1, you say auburn hair: it's a mutation. A very groovy mutation." By this point we were seated, and I had rested my elbows on the table, head buried in my hands, tired of hearing the same old 'pick-up' spiel. "Mutation, right, took us from single-cells to _the_ dominant form of-."

"You know what, this _routine_ may go over great with the co-eds, but I'm here on business."

"What?" I asked, quickly sitting up straight.

"I really need your help..."

"All right," Charles replied hesitantly, shooting me a quick glance.

"The kind of mutations that you were talking about in your thesis. I need to know if they may have already happened; in people alive today..."

Charles rested his head in his hand, fingertips resting on his temple. I was feeling pretty left out, but Charles was quick to funnel me what he was seeing. I saw at least four mutants, and Charles picked up on my worried thoughts, agreeing with them whole-heartedly.

"Professor?" Moira called worriedly. I nudged Charles' leg, and he snapped out of it with a tiny exhale. "I think we should just talk when you're sober. Do you have any time tomorrow?"

"Something tells me you already know the answer to your question. This is very important to me, and if I can help you, I will do my utmost." he replied sincerely, and I smiled supportively at Moira from my seat next to him.

"Thank you."

 **-0-**

"The advent of the nuclear age _may_ have accelerated the mutation process. Individuals with extraordinary abilities may already be among us. Thank you very much."

"MacTaggert, you really think that some crackpot scientist is gonna make me believe in sparkly dames and vanishing men? You just bought yourself a one way ticket back to the typing pool. This meeting is over."

Moira swiftly stood to leave, and Charles spoke up.

"Uh...please. Sit down, Agent MacTaggert. I didn't really expect you to believe me, given that all you'd think about during my presentation was what sort of pie they were serving in the commissary. It's apple pecan." He turned to look at Moira, and I smirked at the shocked look on McCone's face. **"** I haven't been entirely honest with you, love. I'm sorry. You see, one of the many spectacular things my mutation allows me to do, is that I can read your mind."

"I've seen this before at a magic show. Are you gonna ask us to think of a number between one and ten now?" one of the men scoffed, and I glared at him.

"No, Agent Stryker. Although I could ask you about your son, William: who you were thinking about. Which is very nice, but I think I'd rather ask you about the Jupiter missiles, America are currently placing in Turkey." Charles replied coolly.

"He's a Goddamn spy! You brought a Goddamn spy into this facility!" McCone roared.

Everyone began to argue and shout over each other, but Raven jumped to her feet, and changed her appearance to look like Agent Stryker. I also reached out my hand towards Charles' chair, constructing a field of inversed gravity around it, and then sticking it to the ceiling. Raven stood there as Stryker for a few seconds, before shimmering back into her true appearance.

"How's that for a magic trick?"

"Best I've ever seen..." a suited man in the corner muttered, and I rolled my eyes, before returning Charles to the ground.

"I want them out of here. And locked down until I can figure out what to do." Director McCone ordered, shakily pointing at us.

Charles, Raven and I all shared 'oh shit' looks, and I scowled, sitting up straighter in my chair.

"My facility is off site. I'll take 'em." the same suited man offered. I gave Charles a look, and after receiving a brief mental message, slumped into my chair. This was going to go horribly wrong.

 **-0-**

"I've always known that there were people like you out there. I've been the laughing stock of this agency for years, but I knew it! You're gonna love my facility."

"That's gonna have to wait." Charles said, glancing at the suited man walking beside us.

"Why?"

"Agent MacTaggart has a lead on Sebastian Shaw, and if we don't move now, apparently we're gonna lose him."

"What?"

"Not only can he read minds, he can communicate with them as well," I supplied helpfully, grinning at the confused man.

Raven and I climbed into the back of the idling car that had just pulled up, while Charles waited by the open passenger door.

"Moira and I have just had a lovely conversation." he added, peering into the car at aforementioned woman.

"Yes. We did." she replied shortly.

"That is incredible! But...but I cannot take you anywhere else without permission from upstairs."

"Would you like to see one more magic trick?" I asked, giving Charles a significant look. The man glanced between Charles and I, an excited look on his face.

"Okay!"

"Get in the car,"

"Good idea."

 **-0-**

"I've lost Shaw. I've lo...I've lost Shaw! The...there's something blocking me. This has never happened to me before! I think there's someone like me on that ship.

"Like you?" Moira asked, while I cursed, and paced up and down slightly behind Charles.

"Um...I'm sorry. A telepath. This is incredible! I could actually feel her inside my mind!"

"Charles, can you project his approximate location into my head? I can try to-!"

"No, that won't work." he said brusquely, and I deflated. "She completely wiped any presence, and she'll get into your head when she senses you looking, but it was a good idea, Giselle." He turned to face Moira, and spoke to her. "I'm very sorry, but I don't think we're gonna be much help to you tonight. You're on your own."

I watched in stunned silence as a figure aboard the ship constructed swirling winds around his hands, staring intently at the small speed boats.

"Oh my God..." Charles muttered, and I gritted my teeth, trying to wrench the man backwards, and break his concentration. That didn't work, and I had to react fast as the men were quickly flung from their boats with the release of wind. I quickly stopped them in mid-air, and pulled them back towards our ship, before depositing them on the deck.

"Get inside," Levine urged, and Charles pulled me by the hand into a doorway. We were only a few steps inside the ship when Charles stopped.

"Stop stop stop stop! Gah!" he grunted, and I grabbed his shoulders in worry.

"Charles, are you-?"

I cried out, and curled over, as a stabbing pain wrapped itself around my head. My body locked up, and I struggled to breathe.

"There's someone else out there," he said, while trying to hold me up with one arm. I felt Charles in my mind, and some of the pain was dulled. I stood up, and took a steadying breath. He helped me back onto the deck, and I pointed out to the second ship, the massive, raw amount of force still branded into my mind.

"There." I breathed, watching enraptured as an anchor whipped along the length of the ship, and wrapped back around, shearing off the top of the cruise ship. Something detached from the bottom of the boat, and I had a moment of confusion before the metal-bending mutant grabbed hold of it. I screamed, and sank to the deck, my fingers pulling at my dirty blonde hair, head pressed to the icy deck.

"Giselle!" Charles yelled, and dropped to his knees beside me. His hands rested on my head, and my pain flickered in and out of existence. I staggered to my feet, and a small rush of blood flowed down my lip from my nose.

"They're in a sub, and he's trying to sink it," I gasped, dragging Charles to the railings. "Let go!" I shouted, leaning over the railings, eyes trained on the dark figure being dragged along by the submarine and watching in horror as he was slowly pulled under the water and underneath our boat as the sub coasted beneath us.

"You've got to let it go! Get someone in the water to help him!" Charles urged, looking back at Moira. Seizing his moment of distraction, I charged to the other side of the ship, and flung myself into the icy water. I embraced the numbness the water brought the pain in my mind, before increasing the gravity around me, sinking quickly.

I caught sight of the man, and spun my field of gravity to point towards him, lurching forwards and locking my arms around his broad chest. He struggled violently, while I called out mentally to Charles, constructing another field around us, and trying to pull him away from the sub.

While Charles spoke to the man, I concentrated on pulling us away from the submarine, but he was still pulling far too strongly on the metal ship. As hard as he was pulling the submarine to him, it was pulling away 2x harder, causing me a splitting headache with such strong opposing forces, and by now I was becoming woozy, having stretched my physical and mental limits to their extent. I had exploited my mutation more in one day further than I ever had in my life, and it was taking its toll.

I broadcasted this to Charles, and there were a few more silent seconds of struggle. My lungs were burning now, and I would have to let go soon, and save myself, or go down with this man. Miraculously, he relaxed in my arms, and I could tell that he had relinquished his hold on the submarine. I nearly exhaled in relief, but instead sent that feeling into our connected bodies, removing the gravity within our field, and sent us rocketing to the surface.

"Get off me!" the man yelled when we emerged, quickly wrenching free of my arms. I nodded wearily, and closed my eyes, unable to prevent my body from sinking as I sagged. "Hey! Wake up!"

He was the one to close his arms around me now, and I felt him kicking furiously to keep both of us above the waves.

"You need to open your eyes," he urged quietly, patting the side of my face to try and bring me round. "WE'RE HERE!" he yelled towards the boat, and the loud noise helped me snap out of my lethargy.

"I'm fine," I rasped, shaking my head quickly to try to rid myself of my mental exhaustion.

"Who are you?" he asked sternly, letting me go as soon as he knew I wouldn't drown.

"Giselle Amsel," I replied, having to raise my voice over the sound of the waves, and the nearby ship.

"Erik Lehnsherr. Who was that in my head? How did they do that?!" he demanded, glaring at me.

"You have your tricks, we have ours," I replied frostily, and drifted slightly away from him.

" _We_?! Are you a mutant too?"

"Yes." I didn't bother deign him with a better reply. There were a few seconds of silence and then he spoke up again.

"I thought I was alone..."

"You're not alone," I promised him, pushing a mass of wet hair away from my face. "Trust me, Erik. You're far from alone."


	3. Two-No Control

"Welcome to my facility. My mission has been to investigate the application of paranormal powers in military defence."

"Or offense," Erik and I said at the same time. We shared a quick glance, before facing forwards once more.

"This guy, Shaw-Schmidt, whatever you wanna call him. He's working with the Russians. We might need your help to stop him."

"Schmidt?!" I spat, looking wide-eyed at the man, but before I could say anything else, Charles had grabbed my hand, and talked to me mentally.

 _'_ _Calm down, Giselle, we can find out more later...'_

"Marvellous," he said out loud. "So we're to be the CIA's new mutant division, yes?"

"Something like that."

The man led us inside the complex, and pretty soon we were standing in a large hangar/lab type place, staring at a model of a plane.

"It's a... Supersonic. The most advanced plane ever built. You should see it in real life... it's incredible." A young man walked up, in a lab coat, some nerdy glasses, and smart, casual clothes.

"Hank, these are the special new recruits I was telling you about. This is Hank McCoy, one of our most talented young researchers." The suited man indicated the guy in a lab coat, and I nodded in a show of respect.

"How wonderful! Another mutant already here!" Charles said brightly, and moved to shake his hand. **"** Why didn't you say?"

"Say what?" the agent asked, and Charles' face fell.

"Because you don't know." Charles turned back to Hank with a grimace. "I am so, so terribly sorry.

"Hank?!"

"You didn't ask, so I didn't tell..." he said uncomfortably.

"So your mutation is what? You're super smart?" Raven asked, stepping forward slightly.

"I'll say! Hank here graduated Harvard at the age of fifteen." Charles announced.

"I wished that's all it was..." he said carefully.

"You're among friends now, Hank. You can show off." Charles egged, and I stopped next to him, nodding excitedly. Hank toed off his shoes, and then reached down and removed his socks, revealing his hand-like feet. "Splendid."

"Sorry," Hank said with a smile, encouraged by our responses, gently shouldering past us. He walked to the plane, and leaped into the air, flipping to hang upside-down by his feet from the wing of the plane. "Ta-da!"

"You're amazing!" Raven and I said, quickly looking away from Hank to share a bright smile.

"Really?" he asked, still hanging from the plane.

"Really," I confirmed with a beam, ready to ask him all about his mutation.

 **-0-**

I was just curled up on the floor, pressing my throbbing head to a cold metal pole, when a voice and approaching footsteps made me look up.

"Doesn't seem to be the most comfortable position..."

"Agreed, but it helps my headache," I sighed, pulling myself into an upright position, temple still touching the pole. "How can I help you?"

"Charles asked me to give you these." He held out some strong painkillers, and a bottle of water.

" **Gott sei Dank...** (Thank God...)" I muttered, reaching up to take the pills. I swallowed them quickly, and exhaled in bliss as they began to numb my pounding head.

" **Oder du konntest mir danken,** (Or you could thank me,)" he said quietly, and I looked up in shock. He quirked an eyebrow, and I motioned him to sit beside me.

"What do you want to know?" I asked wearily, and he fluidly folded himself into place.

"Everything."

"How about we only ask questions if we are comfortable answering them ourselves?" I suggested sharply, glaring at him. His steely blue eyes tightened, before he nodded in acquiescence.

"What is your mutation?"

"Gravi-path. I can alter or cancel out the effect of gravity within a predetermined area, and I can also speed up, impair, stop, or completely reverse the forces. I can use telekinesis, and both this and my abilities with gravity help me to fly. All of this _sounds_ cool, but it's painful, being able to feel every motion, every power struggle like a tugging in my head 24/7, hence the medicine. So, Mr Lehnsherr, how about you?"

"Demonstrate first," he said, and I sighed, getting to my feet. He mirrored my movements, and stood opposite me, his shoulders tense. I took a steady breath, and felt my heart rate increase as I took hold of his muscles with mental hands. I started to lift him off of the ground, a faint blue sphere surrounding him. "What are you-?"

"Demonstrating." I grit out, getting him to spin around in circles now by applying some pressure to his left hand side.

"Stop it." he growled, and my heart rate spiked, fear making it race even faster. Erik responded by spinning faster and faster, and I panicked, trying to make him stop.

"I-!"

"STOP!" he yelled, and suddenly the metal pole I had been pressed against earlier wrapped around my middle, yanking me back and breaking my concentration. I hit the floor hard, the sudden impact winding me, while Erik dropped to the floor, stumbling.

"Erik, I'm-"

"Unstable," he muttered, gazing at me emotionlessly, a nerve ticking in his jaw. "Immature, and emotional. _Weak_."

"I'm not weak!" I spat, leaping to my feet.

"Go on then." he said, holding his arms out wide. "Prove it."

And I did. I reached out with a vengeance, and tried to remove all force with his bubble, thereby ripping him to shreds. But nothing happened. I tried again, and again, with no success. I dropped my hand, and looked at it, stunned.

"I can't... It won't..."

"Weak..." he scoffed again, before walking away.

 **-0-**

"Hank turned that radar installation into a transmitter. It's designed to amplify brain waves, so you it could enhance your telepathic powers. Help us find other mutants for our division."

"What if they don't want to be found by you?"

My head whipped around at the voice, and I saw Erik standing there, in a black turtle neck and jeans.

"Erik! You decided to stay." Charles said, and I turned back around, refusing to look at him. That conversation last night had knocked my confidence, and I now felt as though I had no control over my mutation, that I didn't truly understand it. Once again, I was... _scared_ of it.

"If a new species is being discovered, it should be by its own kind. Charles and I find the mutants. No suits."

"Giselle too," Charles added, before I could tell him otherwise. I shot him a despairing and discouraged look, and he cocked his head, curiosity filling his eyes. I looked away before he could question me further. It was pointless, however, because I felt his mental fingers brushing at my mind.

"First of all, that's my machine out there. Second of all, much more importantly, this is Charles's decision. Charles is fine with the CIA being involved. Isn't that right?"

"No. I'm sorry, but I'm with Erik. We'll find them alone."

"What if _I_ say no?"

"Then good luck using your installation without him," I snapped, before striding out of the room, knocking into Erik as I left.

"What did you do?" I heard Charles ask faintly.

"I showed her that she wasn't in control..."

I walked swiftly away before I heard anything else.

 **-0-**

"I, uh...call it, Cerebro..."

"You-?" Charles wheezed, looking around the room.

"As in the Spanish for brain..?"

"Yes..."

"Okay. So the electrodes connect Charles to the transmitter on the roof. When he picks up a mutant, his brain sends a signal through a relay. And then the coordinates of their location is printed out here." Hank explained, motioning to the bank of monitors in front of us.

"You designed this?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"What an adorable lab rat you make, Charles," Erik quipped, while Charles stepped up to the headset, and started attaching the electrodes.

"Don't spoil this for me, Erik..!"

"No. I've been a lab rat. I know one when I see one."

"Okay. Great." Hank quickly checked the electrodes. "Are you sure we can't shave your head?"

"Don't touch my hair!"

Hank powered up Cerebro, and I grinned as the machinery began whirring.

"It's working," Hank confirmed.

"I'll say," I breathed, looking at the long list of co-ordinates being printed on the page. First stop...


	4. Three-Nice Trick

"You know it counts double for both, right?"

"Mm, no, that won't be necessary," I countered, sauntering into the room in a deep blue cocktail dress and black heels, my blonde hair curled immaculately.

"Although I'm sure it would be magical." Charles said, sipping from his glass

"We were thinking more, we'll show you ours, if you show us yours." I mused, pouring myself a glass of champagne, and draining it.

"Baby; that is not the way it works around here."

Erik snapped his fingers, and the ice bucket of champagne floated towards him.

"More tea, vicar?" Erik asked Charles. I lifted the champagne bottle into the air with telekinesis, and refilled Charles' glass.

"Don't mind if I do..."

"My turn." Angel unhooked the back of her top, and her wings came into view, kicking into life to bring her off the ground.

"How would you like a job where you get to keep your clothes on?" I hummed, setting my glass down.

 **-0-**

We climbed into the back of a cab, and I smiled at the man in the front seat.

"Where to, fellas, miss?"

"Richmond, Virginia, please." Eric said brusquely, and I nudged him discreetly with my knee.

"Right. So you want the airport? The station? What?"

"No. We were rather hoping you would take us all the way..." I said sweetly, cutting him a wink in the rear-view mirror.

"That's a six hour drive," he deadpanned, and I just stared at him, waiting.

"That will give us plenty of time to talk." With a wave of his hand, Erik clicked down the lever on the cab meter, and the man cut all three of us an incredulous look.

 **-0-**

We all walked into a bar, eyes set on a brawny man sitting at the counter.

"Excuse me, I'm Erik Lehnsherr,"

"Charles Xavier-"

"Go fuck yourself."

"Well that's rude!" I snapped, crossing my arms. The man gave me a look, and removed his cigar from his mouth to speak.

"My apologies, missy. _Please_ , go fuck yourself."

Erik and Charles looked at each other, while I just huffed, and stalked out.

 **-0-**

"Can't stop thinking about the others out there. All those minds that I touched. I could feel them. Their isolation. Their hopes. Their ambitions. I tell you, we've started something incredible, Erik. We can help them."

"Can we? Identification, that's how it starts-!"

"And ends with being rounded up, experimented on," I finished, dropping down on the step below the two, and handing them each ice-cold beers. "Eliminated."

"Not this time. We have common enemies. Shaw. The Russians. They _need_ us." Charles argued quietly.

"For now."

I raised my open bottle, silently toasting Erik's words, and agreeing with them whole-heartedly.

 **-0-**

"The plane leaves for Russia in an hour..."

"I'm telling you, these kids are not ready for Shaw," Erik said, while we walked along beside Charles and Moira.

"I think they're going to surprise you, they're an exceptional bunch of young people-"

"What the Hell?" I muttered, as we emerged into the absolutely trashed courtyard. We walked towards the sound of music, and saw the group of young mutants screwing around and exploiting their powers inside one of the rooms, its windows completely blown out.

"What are you doing?!" Moira shouted, and they stopped what they were doing, some dropping back to the floor, and all looking sheepish. "Who destroyed the statue?"

"It was Alex-"

"No, Havok," Raven interrupted Hank, beaming stupidly. "We have to call him Havok, that's his name now. And we were thinking," she continued, stepping forwards. "That you should be Professor X," Charles, "You should be Magneto," Erik, "And you should be Newton..!" she finished, pointing to me.

"Exceptional," Erik deadpanned, and I raised an eyebrow. Erik and Moira walked off, while Charles and I lingered.

"I expect more from you," Charles said before walking off.

"Glad you're taking nuclear warfare seriously," I said scathingly, and walked after my oldest friend.

 **-0-**

"We got a problem..."

"What?" Charles asked through the small gap in the wood.

"I'm so sorry, this wasn't on the map..."

We looked ahead, and saw a Russian border station.

"No matter what happens, act normally, I'll take care of this. Alright?" Charles said calmly, before turning at shutting the small hatch that separated the drivers and us. "Alright, listen..."

Charles quickly explained the plan, and I sat quietly on my seat, praying to any God that existed that this would work. We heard people moving outside the van as we came to a stop, and then coarse Russian voices.

"Easy, easy, take it easy chaps..." Charles muttered, getting to his feet, and connecting to the soldiers' minds. The doors were flung open a minute later, and I cringed into the wall of the van, trying not to make a noise. The driver and the soldier stared at us, seeing nothing. It was still unnerving though, and I was itching to knock the man out with a well-aimed rock to the head.

The doors were swung shut, and everyone relaxed. Erik heartily patted Charles' knee, and I gave him a quick hug.

Five minutes later, and a mile down the road, we were lying face down in a bank of grass, using binoculars to watch a woman in white walk down a side path, about to head into the mansion.

"Where's Shaw?" I muttered, gnawing on my lip.

"I don't know..." Charles revealed, and Erik and I looked over to him. "She's a telepath, if I read her, she'll know we're here. I'll try something else..."

There were a few moments of silence, and I watched as Charles took control of one of the guards, and watched the woman enter the house with the Russian general.

"He's not coming," Charles said quietly, and I sighed heavily. "So, what now boss?" he asked, turning to look at Moira.

"Now nothing. We're here for Shaw: Mission aborted-"

"The Hell it is-!"

I grabbed his arm, and stopped Erik from leaving.

"Erik-!"

"She's his right hand woman," he snarled at me. "That's good enough for me, and should be for you too!"

I choked on the air, and gazed up at him in surprise.

"How do you-?"

"The CIA invading the home of a senior Soviet official? Are you crazy?!" Moira hissed, leaning around me to look at Erik.

"I'm not the CIA," he said brusquely, before sprinting into the woods.

"Erik!" Charles and I called after him, but he kept running. I got up hurriedly and followed him, using my mutation to speed me up. I caught up to him just as he made into onto front lawn, after wrapping all but two of the guards up in barbed wire.

He stopped suddenly, and held his hands out, then wrenching them to the side. I looked ahead, and saw two guards go sprawling to the floor, guns flung metres away. Erik tore across the grass, and I was right on his heels, clipping one of the rising guards in the temple with my boot, knocking him down and out.

"So, why did you decide to follow me?" he asked breathlessly as we slowed to a walk, just before entering the large house.

"Someone has to stop you getting yourself killed," I replied nonchalantly, stopping a bullet in mid-air, and sent it rocketing back towards the sender. There was a dull _squish_ , and the man dropped to the floor, the retching and gurgling coming to an abrupt halt.

"Much appreciated..." he gave me a shark-like grin, and I smirked back. We made our way quickly through the house, with Erik using his metallokinesis to break apart guns, and stop bullets, while I altered gravity to pin the men to the floors, wall and ceilings.

Charles caught up to us eventually, and we strode along the corridor, bursting through the double doors, and finding the woman sitting on the couch in nothing more than underwear, and the Russian man sitting on the bed, fondling the air.

We all shared a confused look, before realising what he was seeing.

"Nice trick," Charles panted, while I just shuddered.

"Ew..."

The man stopped suddenly, and looked from us to the woman in confusion. He barked out something in Russian, before pulling a gun from his belt.

"Go to sleep," Charles urged, holding a hand out to the man. His eyelids fluttered, and he sagged on the grand double bed. The woman got up, and crystallized, turning into some form of diamond.

"You can stop trying to read my mind, sugar. You're never going to get anything from me while I'm like this."

Charles cringed in pain, and she ran forwards, trying to get between us. Before Charles and Erik could intercept her, I flung out my hand, and sent her sailing back into the bed frame, pinning her to the floor while Erik secured her wrists with the metal bed posts.

"So then you can just tell us. Where's Shaw?" I spat, crouching down in front of her. She didn't say anything, and Erik wrapped a metal bar around her neck. He began to slowly tighten the metal, and miniscule cracks began to form on her skin.

"Erik... Erik, that's enough."

I sensed Erik slowly relinquishing his hold on the metal, and I took over, tightening the bar faster than he did. The cracks started to spread, and Charles panicked.

"Erik, that's enough!"

"It's not me, I-!"

Charles seemed to realise it was me, and yanked me away from her just as her diamond form shattered, and she turned human again.

"All yours," I panted, getting to my feet and pulling out of Charles' hands. "She won't be shifting into diamond form again. And if she does... just give her a gentle tap."

I moved over to the small table, and poured myself a glass of Scotch. Erik came over to join me, and I handed him a glass of the alcohol as well. There was silence as Charles read the woman's mind, and I put the cool glass to my forehead, trying to ease my headache.

"Are you alright?" Erik asked quietly from my left, and I nodded without opening my eyes.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" We looked up, and saw Charles gazing in horror at the woman. He turned to us, and the fear in his eyes was palpable.

"This is worse than we previously imagined." He turned back to the woman, and I quickly threw back my drink. "We're taking you with us. CIA will want to question you themselves."

"I doubt it. They have bigger things to worry about right now."


	5. Four-No Place Like Home

"Raven!" Charles called, striding through the rubble and walking forwards to pull Raven into a hug. I stood slightly to the side with Erik and Moira, letting Charles handle it. "We've made arrangements for you to be taken home immediately."

"We're not going home."

"What?" Charles spluttered, looking at Sean in shock.

"He's not going back to prison." Sean muttered, looking at Alex.

"They killed Darwin." Alex said, and I covered my mouth in shock. Why..?

"All the more reason for you to leave. This is over..."

"Darwin's dead, Charles. And we can't even bury him." Raven whispered, and there was a moment of silence.

"We can avenge him," Erik said calmly, and everyone looked at him with varying degrees of agreement on their faces.

"Erik, a word please..." Charles muttered, walking past Erik and away from the group. I followed, not about to sit this argument out when I agreed with Erik.

"They're just kids."

"No. They _were_ kids," Erik corrected, and I jumped in too, meeting Charles' level gaze.

"Shaw has his army. We need ours."

"We'll have to train. All of us. Yes?" Charles announced, turning back to face the group.

"Yeah," Alex called, and I nodded at him in approval.

"We can't stay here. Even if they re-opened the department, it's not safe. We've got nowhere to go." Hank explained haltingly, meeting all of our gazes.

"Yes we do." Charles said, and I looked into his eyes. When I saw what was hidden there, I struggled to contain a grin. Hell yes.

 **-0-**

"This is yours?" Sean asked in astonishment as we stood on the gravel driveway in front of the Xavier Mansion.

"No. It's ours," Charles corrected.

"Honestly Charles, I don't know how you survived," Erik mused sarcastically, cutting him a look. "Living in such hardship."

"Well, it was a hardship softened by me," I said faux-modestly, giving Charles a side-ways hug. He pressed an absent kiss to my temple, and something flickered in Erik's gaze, too quickly for me to decipher.

"Come on. Time for the tour," Raven announced loudly, pushing between Charles and I. I looked after her with a raised eyebrow. Really, Raven?

 **-0-**

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Got it."

I looked up from my perch on the railings, quickly lowering the dumbbell that I had been lifting with my telekinesis. There was a slight pause, and Charles' finger tightened on the trigger, before he then lowered the gun.

"No! No, I can't! I'm sorry. I can't shoot _anybody_ point blank, let alone my friend."

"Oh, come on! You know I can deflect it."

"Hell, _I_ could have stopped it," I called out, jumping to my feet and walking a few steps closer. Erik grabbed Charles' hand, and made him put the gun to his head again.

"You're always telling me I should push myself."

"If you know you can deflect it, then you're not challenging yourself! Whatever happened to the man who was...who was trying to raise a submarine?"

"Well, I can't! Something that big, I...I need the situation, the anger."

"No, the anger is not enough." Charles pressed, and I shifted, that night with Erik when my powers didn't work coming to the forefront of my mind. Charles looked at me sharply, his eyebrows flying up, and understanding filling his eyes.

"Well, it's gotten the job done all this time," Erik defended.

"It's nearly gotten you killed all this time." Charles said quietly, motioning Erik to the rails. Taking their distraction, I jogged back to the house, intent on doing some training of my own.

 **-0-**

After lifting all of the heaviest objects in the gym, I had moved outside, and lifted up the armoured CIA truck with no problems. I then decided to act as safety net for Sean while he tried out Hank's new wings.

"Now remember, scream as hard as you can," I heard Charles say, and I decided to take several steps back, and to the side.

"You need the sound waves to be supersonic. Catch them at the right angle and they should carry you..." Hank explained, and I mentally prepared myself, eyes flitting from window to window: one holding Charles, Hank, and Sean, the other Raven, Alex, Erik and Moira.

"They _should_ carry me. That's reassuring."

"Good luck. And don't forget to scream." Charles added, moving back slightly to give Sean some room. Sean crossed himself, and then fell out of the window with his eyes closed, letting out a pitiful squeal. I felt confident that I could catch him, and so I held my hands up, and tried to delete the gravity around him.

But it didn't work.

Before I had time to switch to telekinesis, Sean had hit the ground with a grunt.

"Great work, Newton!" Alex called sarcastically, and a lump settled in my throat. I turned to a fist sized rock on the ground, and tried to reverse its gravity. Nothing.

 _Weak..._

The word echoed in my head, and hot tears stung my eyes.

"Giselle?" Charles called, and I saw him flinch, eyes on me, fingers at his temple. I shook my head, and turned around, sprinting into the trees, and ignoring the shouts from behind me.

 _'_ _Giselle, please don't run, come ba-!'_

 _'_ _GET OUT!'_ I yelled at Charles, and my mind was empty once again.

 **-0-**

I sat on a wooden bench somewhere deep in the Xavier Gardens, trying to reverse the gravity on a pile of stones, to no avail. I buried my head in my hands, and tried to take a calming breath.

"Giselle? I know you're out here..."

I debated answering Erik, but then I realised that Charles might be with him, thereby tricking me into a confrontation.

"Giselle..? I'm alone..."

"I'm behind the hedge, Erik!" I called, leaning back against the cold wood of the bench. He emerged round the bend seconds later, and took in my position as he walked closer.

"Nothing?" he mused, and I shook my head. He sat down next to me, and there were a few seconds of comfortable silence. "Giselle, I want you to try something for me, alright?"

"What is it?" I asked cautiously, turning my head slightly to look at him.

"You've had headaches ever since your mutation surfaced, correct?" He continued without waiting for an answer. "I used to have something similar. Until one day I realised that instead of just _sensing_ metal, I was trying to keep an eye on it..: subconsciously trying to control it. So I want you to accept the fact that you aren't in control, and just let go."

" **Oh, das war wirklich hilfreich, Erik, Danke!** (Oh, that was really helpful, Erik, thank you!) How am I just meant to 'let go'?!"

He said nothing, and got up, taking my hands and pulling me to my feet. He looked me in the eyes from where I stood a head and a half shorter than him, and squeezed my hands gently.

" **Nur erreichen. Sanft halten auf das Gefuhl der Schwerkraft, und nur... loslassen...** (Just reach out. Gently hold onto the feeling of gravity, and just... let go...)"

I closed my eyes, and breathed evenly, taking a careful hold of the centre of gravitational pull. I took another breath, but Erik interrupted me.

"No, you're too stiff. Loosen up..." His hands moved to my shoulders, and gently pushed them down. Only once they were back in their normal position did I realise I had been hunching. "There we go..." he murmured, taking my hands once more. "Now, have you got a firm, gentle hold on the centre?"

"Yes." I breathed, noting how much easier latching on had become.

"Now you let go..."

And his lips pressed to mine.

I was taken completely by surprise, and found myself kissing him back, simultaneously sinking into him, and the surrounding forces. While his tongue caressed my tongue and mouth, I absently noted that I had had the perspective wrong before. I did not have a hold on the forces. They had a hold on me. And I couldn't order them to do something; I asked, suggested, and they chose to comply. I had to be gentle, but firm.

We finally parted, the quest for air the only thing to make us pull away. I took in several shaky breaths, and rested my forehead on his chest, arms still around his neck.

"Loose enough for you, Erik?" I asked, the teasing tone in my voice marred by my breathlessness.

"Definitely," he murmured, placing his lips to my forehead softly. There was a brief moment of calm, in which I revelled in the absence of pain, and the warmth of human contact. I cringed suddenly, hearing Charles' voice sharply in my head.

 _'_ _I need to speak with Erik, Giselle. Alone.'_

"I should go," I said quietly, calmly disengaging myself from Erik. He seemed to freeze over, and become detached for a second, but then his face relaxed, and he smiled at me.

"I'll see you later?"

"Definitely," I nodded, and then used my telekinesis to lift me off of the floor, and zoom away back to the mansion.


	6. Five-'No-one Will Ever Hurt You'

I hopped out of the shower, quickly drying off, and running the blow dryer speedily over my wet hair. I brushed it, and left it out in order to dry the rest naturally. I threw on a deep purple brassiere and panty set, pulling on a pair of gray sweatpants, and a black tank top.

I walked out into my bedroom, and slipped some white ankle socks onto my feet, before moving quietly into the hall. I walked along the corridor, and up the small flight of stairs, heading for Erik's room. I knocked once, and opened the door, walking inside to find a blue, naked Raven lying in his bed, covered by some sheets, and Erik, back to the door, pouring a glass of something.

"What is i-?" He stopped, having turned to see who had entered, and finding me. My eyes flicked rapidly between the two, mouth frozen open.

"Oh, hi Giselle," Raven said uncomfortably, looking over her shoulder. Erik's jaw snapped shut, and he didn't take his steely eyes off of me.

"Raven, get out."

"But-!"

"Out."

Raven rolled agilely out of the bed, and darted past me into the hall, shutting the door firmly as she left. I brushed some hair out of my face, and swallowed hard.

"Giselle-"

"I'll just go," I murmured, turning to leave, and reaching for the doorknob.

"No you won't," he disagreed quietly, and my hand froze an inch from the handle. I looked at the bracelet my father had given me for my 7th birthday, and glared as the traitorous band of metal prevented me from leaving.

"Erik... Let. Me. Go." I demanded in a level voice, gritting my teeth and tugging against his hold.

"No." He used the ring on my left hand this time, manipulating both pieces of jewellery to spin me around to face him, and pressed my back into the door. He stalked forwards, and boxed me in with his arms, refusing to drop my gaze. "You will listen to me first."

" **Verdamnt noch mal!** (For fuck's sake!)" I cursed, slamming my head back against the door.

"First, that wasn't what it looked like-"

"What was it then, a fucking tea-party?!" He just gave me a look, and I kept quiet, a bitter twist to my lips.

"I was telling Raven to leave just as you walked in. She was trying to seduce me, nothing happened, and I'm sorry."

"You're sorry..?" I asked, completely distracted. "For what exactly?"

"Because Shaw... Schmidt... _He_ did something..?" He ended it like a question, and I knew what he was asking. I placed a hand on his chest, and he immediately dropped his arms, wrapping one around my shoulders and leading me towards the bed. Charles had already told me the shortened version of his past, and now I sat down next to him, and took a calming breath, ready to reveal _my_ story.

"It happened in 1944, and I lived with my mother and father at age 9, my older brother having been killed in a skirmish with Nazi supporters in 1941. I was 6 years old when he died, and he was 18. This first sparked my hatred of Nazi's even though I was too young to understand their regime at the time.

"It was fairly stormy on that night, although everything else about the circumstance was normal for all intents and purposes. We were sitting around the table, eating our dinner, my mother and father joking about; Mother lighting and extinguishing candles using her powers for my amusement, when a knock sounded at the door.

"My parents froze, while I just carried on eating. My mother grabbed my hand, and took me away from the table, hiding me behind her skirt. My father went to the door, and all we heard were some loud thumps, and raucous, drunken laughter."

I inhaled shakily, and continued, using Erik's presence as courage to go on.

"They dragged my father into the room, gagged and bound, and tossed him into a corner. This man strolled in, arrogant and suave, swiftly seating himself in Father's chair. He kicked his feet up onto the table, and just sat back as the soldiers came for my mother.

"One of them held me, arms behind my back, and seated on his lap, as the other two forced my mother to the floor, hitting her, and ripping her clothes off of her body without a second thought. They laughed when she cried, and jeered when she wailed.

"Erik, I watched as those scum beat, raped, and finally killed my mother. They asked the man, _Dr. Schmidt_ , what they should do with the body, and do you know what he said? 'Fuck her again for all I care.'

"The sick fuck underneath me had an erection, and was running his filthy hands all over me, and the other two were going to come over and join in, had Schmidt not shot the guy holding me. That is the only thing I will ever not hate him for.

"Father yelled at me to run, his gag having come loose, but I was frozen. I couldn't take my eyes away from my mother's corpse, and even if I did, I would have been just as stuck, looking either at the dead man slumped next to me, or the Devil himself sitting in my father's seat.

"The soldiers moved to Father next, and began beating him, asking him to show them his 'freak powers'. Schmidt just sat there and fiddled with my hair, watching my father while I sobbed. I knew that they would take me away, or hurt me once my father gave out, and I just wanted it to be over as quickly as possible.

"But my father refused to say anything, and Schmidt had had enough. He grabbed me by the hair, and pulled me outside into the rain, shoving me down into the mud and rain water while the soldiers hauled out my father. Schmidt held the gun to my head, and threatened to shoot me if Father didn't display his mutation.

"My father smiled grimly, blood running down his chin, and half of his teeth knocked out, nodding at Schmidt. 'I'll show you my powers alright, you fucker!' he growled, his silver eyes glowing brighter as they landed on me.

"I felt a swirling in my stomach, and knew what he was about to do. I screamed for him to stop, but he ignored me. I tried to get up and run, knowing that him sending me away would force Schmidt to kill him. I was brought to my knees again, when a stabbing pain shot through my left eye.

"I shrieked, and the soldiers were suddenly lifted into the air, surrounded by a faint blue sphere. Schmidt thought it was my father at first, and he began to clap, until the soldiers were ripped apart, the void they were now in shredding them into nothing.

"A bright flash came from my father's eyes, and the last thing I saw before I was teleported was Schmidt pulling the trigger, the gun still aimed at my head. I found myself in Charles' kitchen when I opened my eyes. My father had teleported me halfway around the world to keep me safe, most likely costing him his life in the process.

"And ever since that day, my left eye has always been this silver colour. A last tribute to my father, I guess. I never saw anything of Schmidt again, but I did promise to end him, painfully, if he ever crossed my path again. So here we are," I said with a sniff, hurriedly swiping away my tears. "Questions?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" he rasped, gaze trained intently on me, a fierce yet unreadable expression in his steely blue eyes.

"Because besides Charles and Raven, you are the first person in nearly 19 years that I have told my past to..."

"Giselle, I... I will protect you, and I will care for you. No-one will ever hurt you again. And I promise that when we find Shaw, we can finish him together, agreed?"

"Agreed..." I whispered, before Erik pulled me into a tender kiss.

The kiss slowly built in intensity, raw emotion flowing between us like molten lava; once stationary hands now roaming shamelessly, hot and heavy breathing mixing erratically, while lips were bruised, and tongues battled.

It wasn't long before we fell back onto the bed, clothing removed hastily and flung to the floor with even less care. Skin and soul alike were bared; and tender, burning touches were all the encouragement we needed. Moans and pants joined in an erotic harmony, and fireworks burst behind closed eyes.

That night, Erik showed me just how much he cared, and just how much he was willing to put on the line to keep me safe.

And I knew, after his breathing had levelled out, and he had slipped into unconsciousness, that I just could not walk away.


	7. Six-Naval Warfare

"Good morning..."

The soft husky voice cut through my lethargy, and I stretched, humming in greeting even as I curled further into his side. His sleepy chuckle rumbled through his torso, travelling from his skin to mine in a pleasant vibration. I grinned despite myself, and placed a soft kiss on his broad, lean chest.

"Really, Giselle, we need to get moving," he urged quietly, shifting very slightly under me: a warm hand was laid along my side, slowly dragging fire up and down my ribs and waist.

"Five more minutes," I moaned, nestling into his warmth.

"You told me that half an hour ago..."

"I did..?" I muttered, having no recollection of that.

"Yes. Now get up. Today's the day."

My eyes snapped open straight away, and I sighed heavily, sitting up and stretching, something in my shoulder popping stiffly.

"Ouch!" I breathed, reaching for my back, but Erik beat me to it.

"Sorry **meine Liebe,** (my love,)" he murmured, thumbs massaging the tender spot, while he trailed kisses along my neck and shoulder. "Forgive me?"

"No fair," I moaned, sinking back into him. He laughed quietly, and lightly popped me on the rear, sliding to the edge of the bed as he did so.

"Life isn't. I'm going to shower. I suggest you go down to your room and shower as well."

"I'll see you downstairs?" I asked, and he gave me a brief, searing kiss: his finger gently tilting my head up towards him.

"Yes, love. I'll see you soon." He got up, and strolled confidently into the bathroom, not a shred of clothing on him. I resisted the urge to drool as I watched him go. Shaking myself out of my stupor, I slid out of bed, and darted around the room, finding all of my clothing before hurriedly changing back into it.

I left the room, and made it back down to mine undetected, stripping on the way to the bathroom and jumping into the shower yet again. I washed swiftly, and then shut off the hot water, drying myself while trying to tackle my bed-hair with a floating hairbrush.

After making myself look presentable and speedily brushing my teeth, I moved back into the main bedroom, and picked out a fresh set of black underwear, dark jeans, and a comfy light grey turtleneck. I slid on a pair of black boots, and pulled my hair into a high ponytail.

I made my way downstairs, to find the rest of the group waiting for me in the lobby.

I tried to ignore Erik's eyes lingering on me and failed, a faint blush painting my cheeks. Charles cut me a loaded look, which I calmly raised an eyebrow to. He shook his head, eyebrows furrowing, before leading us along the bottom floor, quickly coming to Hank's lab. A note was pinned to the door:

'Gone to the airbase, bring the case marked X. Hank.'

Charles pulled the note off the door after reading it, and then let it drop from his hand while he pushed open the oak double doors. The lab was an utter mess, everything overturned, and chemicals spilt everywhere. Charles walked further into the room, and Erik was next over the threshold, me at his elbow.

"What the hell happened here?" he wondered, looking around at the carnage. Charles just looked back at him briefly, before carrying on to the other end of the room, lifting the lid of a gleaming silver case. We gathered around him, and peered into the box, looking curiously at its contents. "Hank _has_ been busy..."

"Do we really have to wear these?" Alex asked, eyeing the suits skeptically.

"As none of us mutated to endure extreme G-force or being riddled by bullets, I suggest we suit up."

"G-force. Yes. Bullets..? Not so much," I muttered, stepping back as Charles shut the lid of the case.

 **-0-**

We stood assembled in a line, gazing up at the huge plane in front of us, each in our own slightly different blue and yellow X-Men uniform.

"Where's Hank?" Raven asked quietly, but before any of us could guess, a raised voice cut through the quiet.

"I'm here." We all looked over, to see a large, furry silhouette start walking towards us.

"Hank?" Charles called curiously, while we all stared. Hank came closer still, and the light finally revealed him looking huge, primal, and... _blue_.

"It didn't attack the cells: it enhanced them... It didn't work."

"Yes it did, Hank," Raven countered, stepping forward slightly. "Don't you see? This is who you were meant to be. This is you." She placed a hand on his cheek, smiling gently. "No more hiding..."

"Never looked better, man," I said, and Hank growled at me, yellow eyes fixed on mine. Erik shifted, and stepped slightly in front of me, posture stiff and tense.

"Back off-!"

Hank's hand lashed out, and closed around Erik's throat, lifting him off the floor and squeezing.

"Hank?" I gasped, putting a hand on his arm. His other hand darted out, and latched tightly onto my wrist, twisting my arm away.

"Don't mock me," he growled towards me, not taking his eyes off of Erik's reddening face.

"Hank, let them go immediately, please? Hank..? Hank!"

Hank let us go suddenly, and Erik dropped to the ground, while I whimpered, holding onto my throbbing wrist.

"I wasn't," I hissed, turning my wrist slowly to assess the damage. Just a deep muscle bruise, luckily.

"Even I gotta admit, you look pretty bad-ass." Alex allowed, eyes running thoughtfully over Hank. "I think I got a new name for you... Beast."

"You sure you can fly this thing?" Sean confirmed, looking warily at the large plane in front of us. I helped Erik to his feet, and watched Hank from the corner of my eye.

"'Course I can. I designed it."

 **-0-**

"Looks pretty messy out there..."

Hank's voice was sombre in my ears, and I glanced out of the window, taking in the sight of the battleships advancing on each other. My heart was beating at an accelerated rate, and a weight had settled in my chest, heavy and slightly painful. Erik, who was seated to my left, reached out, and discreetly grabbed my hand, squeezing with a comfortable pressure.

"The crew of the _Aral Sea_ are all dead," Charles informed us, still reading the minds of the people below. "Shaw's been there."

"He's still here. Somewhere."

"He has to be," I pressed, backing up Erik's statement.

"He's set the ship on course for the embargo line."

"If that ship crosses the line, our boys are gonna blow it up. And the war begins." Moira said worriedly.

"Unless they're not our boys."

Charles voice was ominous, and we all shared loaded glances. There were a few seconds of tense silence, before Charles closed his eyes with a sharp inhale, and concentrated hard for a while. I glance out of the window, and saw a missile about to cross our flight path.

"Hank!" I warned, but he was already taking action. He pulled us into an extremely steep bank, dipping downwards, and the force of the fall lurched at my insides. I grit my teeth and clung to the seat, trying to lessen the effect of gravity, and help Hank level us out.

"A little warning next time, Professor?" Hank asked dryly, looking back at Charles. I leaned forward, and sharply slapped his shoulder with the back of my hand.

"Sorry about that. You alright?"

"Yeah..!" Sean replied breathlessly, and I took a calming breath.

"That was inspired, Charles." Moira called, a smile in her voice.

"Thank you very much, but I still can't locate Shaw."

"He's down there. We need to find him, now!" Erik said heatedly, and I applied slight pressure to his right hand, which I had not yet released.

"Hank?" Charles prompted.

"Is there anything unusual on the radar or scanners?"

"No. Nothing." Moira responded, her eyebrows pulled together.

"Well, then he must be under water. And obviously we don't have sonar."

Erik and I sighed impatiently, and even Charles looked disappointed.

"Yes, we do." Sean said firmly. There was a second of silence, then Charles spoke.

"Yes. We do!"

Charles, Erik and Sean unbuckled at the same time, and I scrambled to get my harness detached, moving to the back of the X-Jet while holding onto the ceiling.

"Hank, level the bloody plane!" Charles called, leaning drastically to the side while he held onto the rails tightly.

"I'm already on it," I muttered, righting the plane quicker than Hank would have been able to.

"Woah. You back right off," Sean ordered, pointing to Erik, who raised his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Beast, open the bomb bay doors!"

The doors swung open, and then winds rushed into the back of the plane, pushing me back slightly, and making it almost impossible to hear. Charles said something to Sean, before slapping his back, and putting a hand on the door controls.

"We'll see you soon! On my mark! 3! 2! 1!"

"Woo!" Sean yelled, as he plummeted towards the ocean. The bay doors closed just as Sean entered the water, and I sucked in a well needed breath. Charles kept two fingers at his temple, removing them after only 30 seconds.

"Banshee's got a location on Shaw." He walked closer to where Erik and I stood, a serious expression on his face. "You ready for this?"

"Let's find out." Erik replied, and I gave him an encouraging smile.

Erik quickly lead me down into the bottom of the plane, helping me clamber onto the front wheel, just moments before Hank lowered them. He held on tightly to the metal spoke, and I watched as Erik searched under the water for the submarine. The sharp spike of pain in my head as he latched on made me gasp, but wasn't as crippling as on the night we met. I used Erik's focus point to hold on as well, and began to pull, not noticing the thin trickle of blood leaking from my left nostril.

 _'_ _Remember: the point between rage, and serenity...'_

Charles' voice echoed in my head, and I was sure Erik heard him too. I laid my left hand over his right one, still holding onto the wheel, and inhaled as I focused on pulling the ship to the surface. I watched with intense pride as it broke the ocean surface, and I slowly relinquished my grasp on the sub, ready to catch it if Erik slipped, but he handled it. Only now did I realise that I had hardly been helping at all: in fact the submarine seemed to move quicker without my input.

"You did it, **Leibe** , (love)," I murmured, fingers closing around his wrist. I saw the smile that settled on his face as the submarine trailed next to us, even as Hank increased our speed slightly, but I knew he had to concentrate, and couldn't speak to me just yet.

I watched as a hatch popped open on the top of the submarine, and a mutant in a purple suit climbed out, staring intently at us. He spun in fast circles, and I saw to my horror that a tornado began to form.

"Giselle, get in here! Erik, take my hand!"

I ignored Charles, instead, focusing on creating a gravitational pull around the metal leg we clung to. I was just in time, and felt the sucking of the gravity just as the winds hit. The plane jerked, and Erik was thrown back into me slightly, his hold on the submarine cutting off for a moment, before he regained control.

I had just moved focus from the extra gravity I had created to the submarine, therefore lessening the effects, when the plane spun in tight circles, meaning Erik and I had to hold onto the metal to avoid being ripped away from the plane. The submarine dropped onto the beach, slowly rolling end over end onto the small island.

Charles reached out and grabbed Erik's hand, quickly hauling him into the safety of the plane. Just as the two men reached for me, a particularly powerful pocket of wind darted underneath the plane, wrenching me away from the wheel I stood on. I screamed, arms flailing, but Erik managed to catch hold of my hand, fighting to bring me up to the plane.

"Giselle, hold on!" he yelled, but I could see he was gradually being dragged out of the plane after me. Charles was holding onto the back of his suit, trying desperately to stop us both from slipping out. My hand slipped again slightly, and Erik lunged forwards, half hanging out now.

"Let me go!" I shrieked, but he refused, face going red as he tried even harder to pull me into the plane. He had just opened his mouth to say something else, when the plane spun sharply, the centrifugal force tearing my hand out of his, and sending me flying away from the plane completely.

"GISELLE!"

The faint cry of my name was the last thing I heard before I began to fall.


	8. Seven-No Mercy

I opened my eyes as soon as I was able to, the heavy smoke burning in my nose. I sat up with a groan, a hand flying to my back. There was a large area of tender flesh from where I smacked into the floor, and I was slightly winded. I remember using my telekinesis and my gravity powers to slow my fall, and even push me closer to the beach, but I was drained too fast, and dropped like a stone for the last 20 metres.

I slowly got to my feet, trying to take deep breaths while I looked around. Shrapnel and debris littered the beach, and I quickly searched for the plane. I saw it a good 200 metres or more away, and quickly lifted myself off of the floor, and began floating my way over. I was still pretty weak, both physically and mentally, but I managed the trip fairly easily.

I saw some slight movement inside the plane, and so dropped to my feet, and staggered the last few steps to the wreckage, just as Beast, Alex, and Erik clambered out.

"Giselle," Erik breathed, rushing forwards and embracing me, arms closing tightly around my back.

"I'm okay..." I murmured into his chest, smiling weakly at him when he let me go.

"Good to see you back, Newton," Alex grinned, and Beast just nodded at me.

"Shaw's turning himself into some sort of nuclear weapon, so we need to get in there, disable the power, and find out what's stopping Charles reading him." Erik explained quickly, while checking me over for any injuries.

"Erik, I'm fine," I pressed again, and he stepped back, taking in a calming breath, before leading us around the side of the X-Jet and towards the beached sub. I just made out a figure flying up into the air, who must've been Angel, the red suited man who could teleport, and the guy in the purple suit, who began to gather winds in his palms.

Alex wasted no time, and shot a beam at Purple Suit, sending him back into the submarine. The red man teleported in a puff of red and gold, before materialising behind us, swinging a thick curved blade at Beast. Hank grabbed his sword arm, but the red man's other arm went around his neck, while his tail wrapped around Alex's throat. Devil Dude shot a smirk and a wink at me, before disappearing, leaving the reeking smell of sulphur behind.

Erik beckoned me forwards, and we ran side-by-side for the submarine. He reached out his hand and ripped out a chunk of wall, manipulating it to crash onto Purple Suit's back. I took great care to jump onto the piece of metal, landing hard, running across it and leaping into the submarine.

We made our way into the main control room, where Erik approached a small bank of controls. He seemed to be getting some sort of feedback from Charles, and reached out slowly, pulling the lever for the nuclear reactor down to 0%. I reached for the door to the left of the monitor, and pulled it open. Charles' voice was in my head now as we walked inside.

 _'_ _You're there, you've reached the void.'_

"He's not here, Charles, Shaw's not here! He's left the sub." Erik called, looking around frantically for Shaw.

 _'_ _What? He's got to be there! He has to be! There's nowhere else he can be! Keep looking!'_

"And I'm telling you he's not!"

"There's _no-one_ here, God damn it!" I yelled, flinging my fist into a metal wall. The wall at the far end of the room slid open, to reveal Shaw standing inside a blue mirrored room, a helmet encasing most of his head.

"Erik, what a pleasant surprise. Ah, and little Giselle... so good to see you again. You've grown into quite the lovely young woman."

Erik and I walked closer, standing next to each other as we entered the blue-lit room. The door sealed behind us, and my heart rate increased.

"May I ask you something? Why are you on their side? Why fight for a doomed race who'll hunt us down as soon as they realize their reign is coming to end?"

Erik punched Shaw in the face, grimacing when one of his fingers cracked under the impact. I watched as Shaw absorbed the power behind the punch, and my mouth went dry, realising we might be in too deep.

"I'm sorry for what happened in the camps. I truly am."

Shaw touched Erik's forehead, and he slammed back into one of the mirrors. He turned to me, and I locked myself to the floor, bracing for what I knew was coming.

"And Giselle... Your mother's death was necessary, a key to unlocking what you control now." His fist sailed for my face in a blindingly fast motion, and gravity wasn't enough to pin me down. I sailed backwards, and went headfirst into a panel, my body swinging around and shattering the one next to me.

"Gise-!" Erik was on his feet, and moving towards me, but Shaw tapped his side and he flew to the opposite end of the room.

"But everything I did, I did for you two. To unlock your powers. To make you embrace them! You've come a long way from bending gates, Erik. I'm so proud of you."

Erik scrambled to his feet, and pulled down all of the metal piping and rods in the vicinity, forming a solid cage around Shaw. Shaw began to slowly walk forwards, the metal being repelled from him. Erik pushed the metal forwards, but the roiling energy in Shaw was too much, and it slowly gave way before him. Shaw gently pushed the metal girder Erik was struggling with, pinning him to the wall. I managed to pull myself to my knees, reaching out for Shaw.

"Leave. Him. Alone!" I rasped, trying to cancel the forces around him. For a split second I thought it would work, but then the nuclear energy inside Shaw began fighting me. I let loose a blood-curdling scream, the pain searing my brain with an intensity I had never felt in my whole life. I slumped to the ground, head in my hands as I shook and convulsed, blood pouring from my nose like water from a faucet.

"I don't want to hurt you, Giselle. I never did." Shaw crouched down next to me, and lifted my head up to look at him. Erik was still fighting against the metal, and straining to get to me. Shaw helped me to my feet, and brought me over to Erik, and I didn't have it in me to resist. My muscles were weak and shaky, and I just wanted to slip to the floor and pass out. "I wanna help you. This our time. Our age. We are the future of the human race. You and me: Erik, Giselle... This world could be ours."

"Everything you did, made me stronger." Erik muttered, bringing the attention to him. "Made me the weapon I am today. It's the truth. I've known it all along. You are my creator."

He looked up at Shaw, and I saw out of the corner of my eye his helmet being tugged off by a lone metal cable. Shaw turned around, letting me drop to the floor, reaching up for his helmet as Erik yelled out for Charles.

And Shaw froze.

Erik dropped the metal bar, and stooped down next to me, wiping the blood away from my mouth and nose, and hauling me up to my feet, his arm around my waist. He moved us in front of Shaw, and moved the helmet into his hand.

"Sorry Charles..."

 _'_ _Erik, please! Be the better man! You have it-'_

"-It's not that I don't trust you..."

 _'_ _Erik, there will be no turning back!'_

I could still hear Charles, but I had no doubt that for Erik it was completely silent now.

 _'_ _Giselle, take it off of him, stop this!'_

"Sorry, but it's his choice..."

I cut off the connection between us, and formed an exceedingly strong mental barrier, just like Charles had taught me to all those years ago.

"If you're in there, I'd like you to know that I agree with every word you said." Erik began, slowly walking us backwards, keeping his eyes on Shaw the entire time. "We are the future. But, unfortunately... you killed my mother."

He held up a coin, and I immediately saw where this was going.

"This is what we're going to do."

I faintly heard Charles' voice as a faint tickling in the back of my head, but knew that he couldn't see into it, and therefore must have been using Shaw.

 _'_ _No! Please, Erik! No!'_

"I'm going to count to three. And I'm going to move the coin. Are you ready, Giselle?" he asked quietly, and I nodded, taking a shaky breath and standing up straight. I focused on Shaw, and created a faint blue sphere around him. Erik released the coin, and it began to gently float towards Shaw. "One."

 _'_ _Please, Erik!'_

I increased the tension on Shaw's limbs, little by little ripping his cells and tissues apart.

"Two."

I kept upping the pressure, watching in grim satisfaction as his skin started to split, weeping plasma, and then blood as the tears got deeper.

"Three."

The coin started to press through Shaw's forehead, and a morbid smirk lit up my face.

"See you in Hell, asshole!" I spat, ripping his limbs off as the coin emerged through the back of his head, finally dropping to the floor. I kept Shaw and all of his limbs floating inside the anti-gravity bubble, and followed Erik as he carved a path out through the side of the submarine. He allowed me to go first, and I floated Shaw's remnants through the hole, dropping him onto the sand in front of the other mutants.

"Today our fighting stops!" I yelled, lowering myself to the ground, Erik right behind me.

"Take off your blinders, brothers and sisters. The real enemy is out there." Erik pointed out to see, and we all took in the sight of the battleships, slowly converging. "I feel their guns moving in the water. Their metal, targeting us. Americans, Soviets, humans. United in their fear of the unknown. The Neanderthal is running scared, my fellow mutants!"

I walked at Erik's side, moving closer to the shore, looking over at Charles from where he walked five metres from us.

"Go ahead, Charles." I urged quietly, looking him in the eye. "Tell me we're wrong."

Charles read the minds of the people on board, before letting his hand drop, and nodding minutely to Moira. She sprinted off, and I took a steadying breath, watching the ships carefully, ready to react.

All of their weapons suddenly went off at once, and waves of missiles were launched into the air, shooting high before curving right towards us. I stood steadfast at Erik's side, watching them approach. At the last minute I held up a hand, and helped Erik bring the missiles to a halt. I relinquished my hold, and took a breath, head pounding again.

I watched as the missiles began to turn around, and point back at the battleships they had been fired from.

"Erik, you said yourself we are the better men. This is the time to prove it. There are thousands of men on those ships, good, honest _innocent_ men. They're just following orders..."

I locked down at that, and turned my head to stare coldly at Charles.

"We've both been at the mercy of men just following orders. Never again!"

And with that, Erik sent the missiles hurtling out to sea.

"Erik, release them!"

Erik did nothing, and Charles sprinted towards us.

"No!"

I stepped into his path, and both of us went tumbling into Erik, and I heard the missiles dropping rapidly, crashing into each other and exploding. I rolled slightly away from the duo, spitting sand out of my mouth.

"I don't want to hurt you..!" Erik muttered, slamming his elbow into Charles' temple. "Don't make me!"

The other X-Men began to move forward, but I was on it. I got to my knee, and sent an arm sweeping toward them.

"Stay back!" They all flew through the air, landing hard in the sand a good 50 metres away. Erik had Charles pinned now, and had regained control of the missiles, correcting their course.

"Erik, stop!" Charles shouted, reaching for his helmet. Erik turned back to him, and punched him square on the jaw, while I took over the steering of the missiles. Erik got to his feet, and stood next to me, urging the missiles faster, while I released them, taking a minute to catch my breath.

There was the sound of pinging metal as a bullet ricocheted off the helmet, and we both turned, to see Moira advancing, a gun trained on us. She fired repeatedly, and Erik stepped towards her, deflecting her bullets easily. I was too weak to control the missiles now, and just tried not to pass out. The last two bullets were fired, and I relaxed, thinking it was over.

I heard a dull impact, and whirled around, almost in slow motion, to see Charles, arching his back in pain, sinking slowly to the floor.

"NO!"

I sprinted over to him, and dropped into the sand by his side, quickly pulling the bullet from his back. Erik fell to his knees opposite me, and pulled Charles across his legs.

"I'm so sorry..."

"I said back off!" I screamed to the other mutants, who paused a good distance away from us.

"You... You did this..." Erik reached up, and pulled on Moira's dog tags, tightening them around her throat.

"Erik, please... She didn't do this, Erik... You did..."

Erik let her go after a few seconds, and I sobbed, leaning over Charles.

"This is all our fault..!"

"No, Giselle, it-!"

"It is..." I pushed quietly, tear dripping onto his suit. "I know it, and you do too."

"Us turning on each other. It's what they want. I tried to warn you, Charles. I want you by my side. We're brothers, you and I. All of us, together. Protecting each other. We want the same thing."

"My friend, I'm sorry. But we do not." he laughed darkly, and he and Erik had a stare-down for a few seconds. Erik finally looked away, and waved Moira forward. I pressed a swift kiss to Charles' forehead, before standing, and moving away with Erik.

"The society won't accept us. We form our own. The humans have played their hand. Now we get ready to play ours. Who's with me?"

He looked out at everyone, and several of them turned away, refusing to look at either of us. I set my eyes on Raven and held out my hand.

"No more hiding. Mutant and proud."

She began walking forwards, but bypassed us to kneel by Charles. I turned away from them briefly to look up solemnly at Erik.

"Are we doing the right thing?" I muttered quietly. He looked down at me, his cold eyes softening gradually and he pulled me closer to him.

"We're surviving. It's all we _can_ do."

"Take care of him."

I turned to look back, and saw Raven stand, walking slowly over to join us. I gave her a tight hug, which she returned whole-heartedly. I took the small space of time that Shaw's former allies used to come over to us in which to say a proper goodbye to Charles.

"I'm sorry. I can only say thank you for being my support, my friend, my _brother_ for all these years. But this is who I am. This is where I belong."

"Good luck, Giselle. You always have a home with me, remember that."

I smiled weakly, and squeezed his hand. He kissed the back of mine, and I kissed his cheek in return, before going to stand between Raven and Erik, where we quickly joined hands.

"And Beast?" Raven called. "Never forget: mutant and proud."

He looked away in disgust, and I took a shaky breath, shooting a last parting look to Charles and the rest of the X-Men. There was a faint swirling sensation, and with a cloud of red and sulphur, we were gone.


	9. Epilogue-Newton and Magneto

I crumpled the door like kitchen foil, and followed Erik into Emma's holding cell.

"I know we've had our differences..."

"Where's your telepath friend?"

"Gone," I replied shortly.

"Left a bit of a gap in my life if I'm to be honest," Erik continued, and I knew better than to glare at him. It was just part of his speech. "I was rather hoping you would fill it."

I looked pointedly to my right, and Emma followed my gaze, eyes resting on the small band of mutants in the doorway.

"Join us." I pushed.

"Giselle and Erik, I believe..."

"I prefer Newton..." I said calmly, a smirk settling onto my face as Erik drew me closer, his right hand settling on my waist.

"Newton and Magneto."

 **A/N: Remember, feel free to correct any of the German, any contradictions in the time line, or any other problems that you come across. I hope you enjoyed, and I can't wait to hear your feedback!**

 **Love you long time! (Shoutouts if you get this...)**

 **Ta-ta!**


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